Omaha daily bee., 1887-05-28

or OF the legal country, as IL Is calleu.
The property qualification for the exer.
else of the franchise is SO high that not
over 3 per cent of the population can
vote. The liberal associations have
taken this up as the great question OF the
day, and are preparing for congress, in
which an effort will be made to bring
about some sort of agreement with re-
gard to 1t between the moderates and the
radicals. The latter demand universal
suffrage, which the'former oppose on the
ground that the ignorance Of the masses
is still SO great as to make 1t dangerous,
and suggest as the first step towards an
extension OF the suffrage, the introduc-
ton OF an educational qualification, in
addition to, or rather in lieu OF, the
property qualification, where this is
wanting.
-.
The porte is before the powers again
with brace of fresh requests, one being
for permission to issue loan of 25,000,.
600 on the Egypt and Cyprus tributes,
and the other that the powers will nomi-
nate some candidate for the Bulgarian
throne who will be acceptable to the So
branje. Both requests are in the line Of
chronic helplessness which has long been
associated with Turkey. The puzzle in
her finances Is how she constantly man
ages, when apparently beyond the bot
tom of her cash and quite at the bot
tom of her credit, to hunt up some
new article of value to pawn or some old
one on which additional mortgage is
possible. With billion dollars or so of
debt, on which only fractional interest is
paid, she was able not long ago to pledge
some of her railways for money with
which to buy guns and ammunition. Now
comes another device, and the wonder is
where it will end. Perhaps she will
begin soon to sell out some of her islands
or outlying provinces il. the powers will
allow each other to buy them.
-.
The financial condition of France is
cited as ono reason why it is so difficult
to find any one willing to form minis.
try. The debt is estimated to be at least
Is, ,0O0, ,0OO, 900, and the vast expenditures
for war preparations, have nccessitated
taxation almost beyond the limits of en-
durance. And the taxes have been laid
on the protection plan, to propitiate the
agricultural classes especially, and the
taxes on food are specially oppressive
The tax on imported wheat has been re.
peatedly raised, until it Is now equal to
about twenty-five. per cent. 1t was
claimed that the price of bread would
not rise in consequence, but it has risen,
and some of the taanipulators have res
urrccted an ancient law authorizing
them to fix maxtnum price for bread.
This is making tra1ble among the bak-
ers. The statesmen-econom did no,
venture to put tak on imported bread
and 50 the Belgian bakers are doing q
thriving business by sending bread into
France free of duty, while wheat is taxed
twenty-five per cent. This, of course, in
creases the irritation among tho French
bakers. And so things are going from
bad TO worse. No wonder is it that
French statesmen Who care anythin g fol
their political future hesitate under such
circumstances to- attempt the task Of
forming ministry.
~
The announcement that the Empero,
William does not intend going to CASTER
this year, and that consequently the ira
ditional interview of the Emperor of Aus
tria with the German emperor is not tt
take place this summer, has cast a Ger
tam gloom upon Vienna circles, and ha.
even had an unfavorable effect upon tn,
Boerse. Nevertheless, it is a fact that thi
matter has nothing whatever to do will
/ ,>n1ttioo h,,t io o;
with the physical condition of the Ger
man emperor. Last year the Berlin ply
sioians hesitated to send the emperor I,
Gastein because they feared the fatigue
of the journey, and also considered tina
the high, mountainous situation of tn
place would be prejudicial to the EN-
peror's health. Bnt he himself at tha
time felt. an irresistible longing to 60 t,
Gastein, so that the physicians gave way
This year, however, they decline to as
sumo the responsibility, and the empero
will have to renounce his accustomed
visit to his favorite watering place. But
though the meeting of the two emperor
is not likely to take place this year, on
may count with all the moro certainty Of
An interview of tho leading ministers O
Germany and Austria, Prince Won BIZ
marck and Count Kalnoky.
| -.
Fresh trouble for de Lesssps is an
nounced from Panama. A dispatch say
that water has been struck in one Of tn
largest. longest and deepest cuts, ia
above the line of the canal work, and ha
washed from the side of the mountain
into the cuts and filled them up. This ae
cident which Is serious and costly on
on its face. will not be an unmixed disa.
ter il 1t convinces De Lesseps that h
cannot cut an ocean-level canal, an
that surface-lock canal. instead of
sea-level canal, in long. deep and narro,
cuts, IS the only practical way OF Gettin
across the isthmus. just such accident
as the one described in the dispatch hav
, been predicted by all American engineer.
The only practical thing to do now is t
let the cut ill mp and then lock in an
lock out, and change De Lesseps mcthot
of canal building ID
~
| Tho orIar 80 Tnc,,;ta ;c o-~onA;~, 4.